President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that the victory of 6 October 1973 represents not only a remarkable military victory in Egyptian military history but also "a unique demonstration of the nation s will."
"Egypt is celebrating today one of the greatest and most glorious days in its history,” he said. “On that day the Egyptians crossed the line between despair and hope and between the past and the future."
El-Sisi was speaking during a televised speech aired on Sunday, an annual public holiday in celebration of the event.
In his short speech, the president said that the younger generations need to know what happened during that period in 1973 and how the people stood behind their armed forces.
He also referenced a new type of war that he said targets the trust between citizens and national institutions.
"That kind of war aims to destroy the trust between the citizen and his national institutions and to portray the state as the enemy," he said.
Winning this new kind of war depends on the confidence of the citizens, the Egyptian president said.
El-Sisi also saluted late president Anwar Sadat for his leadership during the war.
"On the anniversary of the October victory, we present a respectful salute to the hero and martyr President Anwar Sadat who held responsibility even mountains don’t hold. Egypt and its people trusted him as a patriotic and strategic genius who put his nation and his people s interest above any other consideration," El-Sisi said.
The October War, also known as the Arab-Israeli War, was fought by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from 6 to 25 October in 1973.
The first day of the war saw Egyptian forces launch a successful operation to cross the Suez Canal.
